Pambansang Komisyon sa Telekomunikasyon | |
National Telecommunications Commission Central Office, Quezon City | |
Agency overview | |
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Formed | July 23, 1979 |
Jurisdiction | Government of the Philippines |
Headquarters | Senator Miriam P. Defensor-Santiago Avenue (BIR Road), East Triangle, Diliman, Quezon City |
Annual budget | ₱535.27 million (2023) |
Agency executives |
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Parent agency | Department of Information and Communications Technology |
Website | ntc |
Footnotes | |
[1] |
The National Telecommunications Commission (NTC; Filipino : Pambansang Komisyon sa Telekomunikasyon) is the telecommunications regulator of the Philippines.
It is an attached agency of the Department of Information and Communications Technology responsible for the supervision, adjudication and control over all telecommunications services and radio and television networks throughout the country.
The National Telecommunications Commission (NTC) was created under Executive Order No. 546 promulgated on July 23, 1979, and conferred with regulatory and quasi-judicial functions taken over from the Board of Communications and the Telecommunications Control Bureau, which were abolished in the same Order.
Primarily, the NTC is the sole body that exercises jurisdiction over the supervision, adjudication and control over all telecommunications services and television networks throughout the country. For the effective enforcement of this responsibility, it adopts and promotes guidelines, rules, and regulations on the establishment, operation, and maintenance of various telecommunications facilities and services nationwide.
Although independent as its regulatory and quasi-judicial functions are concerned, the NTC remains under the administrative supervision of the Department of Information and Communication Technology as an attached agency. However, with respect to its quasi-judicial functions, NTC's decisions are appealable only and directly to the Supreme Court of the Philippines.
The National Telecommunications Commission has been "hands off" since 1995 with the passage of Republic Act No. 7925 [2] which has effectively deregulated and privatized the telecom industry. It is argued, that the "hands off" approach resulted in the Philippines having one of the slowest Internet in Asia. [3] The NTC itself stated the said law is the "reason why the government has difficulty in regulating internet service today." [4]
The NTC is headed by a commissioner appointed by the President.
Commissioner | From | To |
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Ceferino C. Carreon | August 23, 1979 | March 14, 1986 |
Tomas C. Reyes | March 14, 1986 | April 1, 1986 |
Jose Luis A. Alcuaz | March 23, 1987 | November 12, 1989 |
Josefina T. Lichauco (acting) | November 13, 1989 | September 3, 1991 |
Mariano E. Benedicto II | September 4, 1991 | January 7, 1993 |
Simeon L. Kintanar | January 7, 1993 | January 31, 1998 |
Fidelo Q. Dumlao (acting) | February 1, 1998 | July 15, 1998 |
Ponciano V. Cruz Jr. | July 16, 1998 | December 14, 1998 |
Joseph A. Santiago | December 16, 1998 | February 8, 2001 |
Agustin R. Bengzon (acting) | February 12, 2001 | February 25, 2001 |
Eliseo M. Rio Jr. | February 26, 2001 | June 3, 2002 |
Armi Jane R. Borje | June 3, 2002 | January 16, 2004 |
Ronald O. Solis | January 19, 2004 | November 29, 2006 |
Abraham R. Abesamis | November 30, 2006 | August 10, 2007 |
Ruel V. Canobas | August 13, 2007 | July 31, 2009 |
Gamaliel A. Cordoba | August 1, 2009 | October 20, 2022 |
Ella Blanca B. Lopez | October 20, 2022 [A] | Incumbent |
Telecommunications in the Philippines are well-developed due to the presence of modern infrastructure facilities. The industry was deregulated in 1995 when President Fidel Ramos signed Republic Act No. 7925. This law opened the sector to more private players and improved the provision of telecom services are better and fairer rates, leading to the creation of many telecommunication service providers for mobile, fixed-line, Internet and other services.
The Department of Transportation is the executive department of the Philippine government responsible for the maintenance and expansion of viable, efficient, and dependable transportation systems as effective instruments for national recovery and economic progress. It is responsible for the country's land, air, and sea communications infrastructure.
The Sandiganbayan is a special appellate collegial court in the Philippines that has jurisdiction over criminal and civil cases involving graft and corrupt practices and other offenses committed by public officers and employees, including those in government-owned and controlled corporations. The special court was established by Presidential Decree No. 1486. It was subsequently modified by Presidential Decree No. 1606 and by Republic Acts 7975, 8249 and 10660. It is equal in rank to the Court of Appeals, and consists of fourteen Associate Justices and one Presiding Justice. The Office of the Ombudsman owns exclusive authority to bring cases to the Sandiganbayan.
The Civil Aviation Authority of the Philippines is the civil aviation authority of the Philippines and is responsible for implementing policies on civil aviation to assure safe, economic and efficient air travel. The agency also investigates aviation accidents via its Aircraft Accident Investigation and Inquiry Board. Formerly the Air Transportation Office, it is an independent regulatory body attached to the Department of Transportation for the purpose of policy coordination.
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The Commission on Information and Communications Technology (CICT) was the primary policy, planning, coordinating, implementing, regulating, and administrative entity of the executive branch of the Philippine Government that would promote, develop, and regulate integrated and strategic information and communications technology (ICT) systems and reliable and cost-efficient communication facilities and services.
Digital Telecommunications Phils., Inc., commonly known as Digitel, was the second-largest fixed-line and the third-largest mobile telecommunications company in the Philippines. It was also the company that owned Sun Cellular, a mobile phone service.
The Philippine Cyberservices Corridor is a plan that is being pursued by the government of the Philippines to create interconnected centers of technology-related services, that are spread out all over the country. Services include business process outsourcing, medical transcription, outsourcing of animation, and the like. It is part of the ten-point agenda of President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo and is one of the five "super-regions" outlined in her 2006 State of the Nation Address.
ACWS-United Broadcasting Network is a broadcast media company in the Philippines. It owns several radio stations in areas, as well as its focus on the Multipoint Video Distribution System (MVDS) for wireless broadcast distribution.
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The National Security Council is the principal forum of the president of the Philippines considering national security and foreign policy matters with his senior national security advisors and cabinet officials.
The presidency of Benigno Aquino III began on June 30, 2010, when he became the 15th president of the Philippines, succeeding Gloria Macapagal Arroyo. His term ended on June 30, 2016. Aquino, the third-youngest person elected president, is the only son of the 11th president, Corazon Aquino, and former senator Benigno Aquino Jr.
The Office of the President of the Philippines, is an administrative, advisory, and consultative government agency that aids the president of the Philippines in performing their duty as head of state and chief of the executive branch of government.
The Philippine Truth Commission was created to find out the truth about reports of large scale graft and corruption in the previous government; to put a closure to them by the filing of the appropriate cases against those who were involved. Furthermore, to deter others from committing such crimes and to restore the people's faith and confidence in the government and in their public servants. On July 30, 2010, President Benigno Aquino III set up the Philippine Truth Commission to find out the truth about reports of large scale graft and corruption in the previous government and to put a closure to them by the filing of the appropriate cases against those who were involved. Furthermore, to prevent others from committing such crimes and to restore the people's faith and confidence in the government and in their public servants.
The Department of Information and Communications Technology (DICT) is the executive department of the Philippine government responsible for the planning, development and promotion of the country's information and communications technology (ICT) agenda in support of national development.
The Cabinet Secretariat, formerly the Office of the Cabinet Secretary, was a member agency of the Cabinet of the Philippines which provided support to the President, facilitated the exchange of information, as well as discussed and resolved issues among Cabinet members. The Cabinet Secretary also acted as a coordinator and integrator of the initiatives of the President. The Cabinet Secretariat was created through Executive Order No. 237, s. 1987.
The National Privacy Commission, or NPC, is an independent government body in the Philippines created under Republic Act No. 10173 or the Data Privacy Act of 2012; the Commission is mandated to administer and implement the provisions of the Act, and to monitor and ensure compliance of the country with international standards set for data protection. While attached to the Philippines' Department of Information and Communications Technology (DICT) for purposes of policy coordination, it remains independent in the performance of its functions. The Commission safeguards the fundamental human right of every individual to privacy, particularly information privacy, while ensuring the free flow of information for innovation, growth, and national development.
Information Broadcast Unlimited, Inc. (IBU), is a privately owned Philippine radio and television network based in Angeles City in Pampanga. IBU also known as DZCL-TV was assigned to Ultra High Frequency (UHF) Channel 38 in Pampanga and provisional authority in other provinces in the Philippines.
Eliseo Mijares Rio Jr. is a Filipino retired brigadier general and electronics engineer who is the former Undersecretary for Operations of the Philippines' Department of Information and Communications Technology and once headed the department under the Duterte administration from 2017 to 2019 as Officer-in-charge.
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